Month: November 2016

Silence is a wonderful thing, it’s what you want in the middle of the night on top of a mountain. Well that is not totally true. Silence can also wake you up. I have become used to the noises that the “Nutshell” makes. The sound of the pump when you are running out of water in the fresh water tank. The squeak of the axle when you haven’t lowered the stabilizers. The sound of the refrigerator when it cycles on and off. And the gurgle of the Alde heater. Many people have commented that these noises and the glowing lights on the television, refrigerator and entertainment center keep them awake at night. Not me, I find these familiar noises comforting. It means that all is right in my small world.

So it was a bit disconcerting when I woke up at 8600 ft to perfect silence. Well, maybe not perfect. Dave and Oz snored softly and Max made his little Maxie noises. But there was no sound from the refrigerator and no sound from the heater. It was still warm inside our cocoon but not as warm as usual. I checked my phone and it was 2 am. Lights were all working properly so the battery had not died. Could we be out if propane? Seemed like that could be the likely culprit. I woke Dave, who wasn’t buying such an easy fix but at 2 in the morning there was not a thing we could do. So dragging the comforter over the entire crew, I snuggled up to Oz and went back to sleep.

It was much cooler when we dragged ourselves out of bed in the morning. There was a layer of ice on the dogs water dish outside and a film of frost on the FJ’s windows. Our attempts to light the propane stove confirmed that we were indeed out. After a breakfast of cold cereal we loaded up the propane tank and headed into Flagstaff. We were very happy to see that the Safeway had a propane exchange so we didn’t have to hunt down a place to fill up the tank.

On our way back to our mountain camp we explored some boondocking options at lower elevations. Finding several along the road in we discuss the logistics of moving to a lower elevation. The road up to our camp was narrow and meeting other vehicles while descending the mountain could be hazardous. The weekend was coming and Lockett Meadows was situated at a popular trailhead. Traffic was only going to increase. We also understood that a choice of sites on the lower road would also subject us to traffic and road dust. So after one more night in the aspens we abandoned our chilly camp and headed for the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

Hey friends Black Friday is almost here. If you’re like me you won’t be at the malls that day but relaxing at home with a turkey sandwich. Still want to shop and fund our future travels? Shop through the blog and we will all have a happy holiday season!